Nutella Facts

Nutella received immediate popularity during the year of its first release.

After its official launch in Italy, Nutella quickly received a good response from the public and grew quickly in terms of popularity. Later on, Nutella expanded to several other countries in Europe and made its way to the United States in less than two decades from its initial release. 

However, its popularity in the United States did not pick up as quickly as it did in other European countries. After it was first exported to the United States in the early 1980s, Nutella began gaining popularity around the late 90s, which may be due to the different recipes that the American version has. 

In 2015, a man stated that Nutella could help you lose weight within a week.

In April 2015, a Vice writer attempted to lose weight by going on a strict Nutella diet for a week. After eating nothing but the hazelnut spread for all of his meals he weighed 6 pounds less in just a week. 

However, this was not done without harmful side effects, with the writer becoming violently sick from the first day of the week-long diet plan. Apart from the physical symptoms, the writer has stated that it also took a large mental toll on himself after the completion of the diet. 

Nutella once served the largest continental breakfast in the world.

In 2005, Germany celebrated the 40th anniversary of Nutella by initiating a large breakfast celebration featuring the popular hazelnut spread. On May 29th, 2005, over 27 thousand people gathered in Gelsenkirchen to enjoy meals that consisted of bread, fresh orange juice, yogurt, and Nutella. 

Due to the scale of the celebration, the Guinness Book of World Records officially recognized this as the largest continental breakfast in the world. However, despite the size of the event itself, there were no comments from the thousands of participants recorded after the end of the day. 

Due to Italian laws, the Nutella hazelnut spread cannot be labeled as chocolate cream.

In several countries, Nutella is typically labeled as a hazelnut cream rather than a chocolate cream. This is also the case in Italy, as an Italian law dictates a minimum cocoa solid concentration before a product can be legally classified as a chocolate cream product.

According to Italian law, any product that wishes to be labeled as a chocolate cream product must contain a minimum of 35% in total dry cocoa solids. The final products must also contain a minimum of 14% dry nonfat cocoa solids and 18% cocoa butter. 

In 2013, thieves in Germany stole 20,000 Euros worth of Nutella

In 2003 in Germany, a group of thieves stole over 5 tons of Nutella from a parked trailer in the central German town of Bad Hersfeld. At the time, police reports concluded that the products were stolen for retail in underground markets and websites. This is largely due to the possibility of a new tax law on chocolate in Europe at the time. 

Further investigations by German police also revealed that the thieves also stole a load of energy drinks and other caffeinated products from the same location. Later on, this incident inspired similar events with large amounts of Nutella was stolen in other parts of the world like New York City. 

Italian markets used to offer free smears of Nutella to all children.

During the first few years of its initial release, Nutella was considered to be very popular in Italy, most especially among the Italian markets. Due to the high demand for the product, Italian markets and other stores began offering free smears of Nutella to children who would bring their bread to their stores. 

Over time, this quickly became a trend which would later on be called ‘The Smearing.” As a result, this also proved to become a highly successful marketing strategy that influenced other brands. 

You cannot name your child after the hazelnut spread if they are born in France.

In 2015, the French court made it illegal for parents to name their newborn children after the popular hazelnut spread after a newborn baby girl was named Nutella. The French court mandated this law to prevent future children from becoming a target for bullying and harm due to their unusual name.

The French court had also stated that this was also done as a means of protecting the child’s mental health from developing problems such as anxiety or depression. Additionally, the French court also stated and ordered that the newborn baby girl be named Ella instead of Nutella. 

The world’s Nutella addiction is partly thanks to the influence of Hitler and Napoleon.

During the 1800s, trades to Britain and Europe for a chocolate paste named Gianduia was blocked by Napoleon. During WW2, chocolate had turned into a luxury product, which inspired Pietro Ferrero to combine hazelnuts and cocoa. 

By 1946, Nutella’s predecessor, Giandujot was invented as a hard slab of hazelnut chocolate which quickly grew in popularity and would always sell out within minutes. Additionally, this also caused a popular trend of pairing bread and other food with the chocolate spread. 

The Ferrero company once gave out giant Nutella jars to the Italian cycling team.

In 2014, the Ferrero company distributed large personalized jars of Nutella to the professional Italian road cycling team. Each weighing around  6.6 pounds, these Nutella jars also featured the names of each member in front of the label.

Later on, the giant Nutella jars quickly gained popularity and became available for sale in warehouse stores and markets all over the world. Various other sizes for Nutella jars were also released in response to the Nutella addiction that would continuously grow over the years. 

The Nutella headquarters is located in Pino Torinese, Italy.

Also known as Ferrero SpA, The Ferrero Group was founded in 1946 in Pino Torinese, Italy. The Ferrero company also holds over 38 trading companies, 18 factories, and over 40,000 employees stationed all over the world. 

Other than Nutella, the company also owns several other products and brands such as Ferrero Rocher, Kinder Joy, Kinder Chocolate, Mon Cheri, the Ferrara Candy Company, and many more. Each year, it is estimated that the company earns  a revenue of 11.37 billion Euros as it operates on an average of 1.34 million Euros. How’s that for money-making Nutella facts?

Nutella uses nearly a quarter of the world’’s hazelnut supply.

Processing around 100,000 tons of hazelnut each year, Ferrero uses nearly ¼ of the world’s hazelnut supply. Due to this, the world’s pricing for hazelnuts has also increased by 60% of its original pricing in the market. 

While the Ferrero company uses a large number of hazelnuts annually, not all of its supply is used on its most famous product, Nutella. Today, hazelnuts are considered to be higher in value, which leads to more farmers wanting to grow and harvest their products to sell in the market later on. 

The Ferrero company once attempted to shut down World Nutella Day.

In 2007, a Nutella fan initiated their own Nutella Day celebration which became viral on the internet and was used for various marketing purposes. At the time, a Nutella Day Facebook page attracted over 40,000 fans which caused a trending craze for the hazelnut spread. 

However, the Ferrero company did not positively take this event and moved on with legal actions to settle the issue. As a result, this received several negative responses from people all over the world on social media, which later on forced the Ferrero company to eventually accept the fan-made annual celebration for their product. 

Many argue that the American made Nutella is not as good as the original recipe.

According to professionals, the American version of the popular hazelnut spread contains more salt, which makes it sweeter than the Italian version. In 2017, the Ferrero company has also confirmed that the recipe for the popular spread has been changed to cater to the local taste of its consumers from other countries. 

According to the company, the new recipe now includes more sugar and powdered milk at the expense of cocoa nibs and powder. However, despite this change, the amount of hazelnuts and its signature palm oil remains unchanged in the recipe. 

A jar of Nutella is sold every 2.5 seconds all over the world.

According to 2017 sales statistics, the Ferrero Group sells a jar of Nutella every 2.5 seconds from stores and markets from all over the world. If you were to gather all of these jars and lined them up, you would be able to circle the earth a total of 1.4 times. 

Originally, Nutella was sold as a block of chocolate instead of the creamy hazelnut spread that is popularly known by the majority of its consumers today. The amount of Nutella that is produced annually also rivals the weight of the Empire State Building located in the city of New York. 

Nutella was originally made in the form of a loaf.

During its early release, Nutella came in the form of a loaf that would be sliced into pieces to place on bread, much like cheese slices. Over time, this was changed into a chocolate bar, which would later on be turned into a cream or paste sold in small containers. 

Since its initial release, Nutella has been popularly paired with several types of pieces of bread and pastries. Over time, the hazelnut spread eventually became incorporated into several recipes to create new types of bread and desserts loved by Nutella fans all over the world. 

Nutella is confirmed by the Ferrero company to be pronounced as ‘new-tell-uh’.

While many fans commonly know the product as ‘nuh-tell-uh’, Ferrero has confirmed that the product is actually pronounced as ‘new-tell-uh’.

Nutella is also responsible for causing an international argument over palm oil.

In 2017, a Belgian court ruled the advertising claims which regarded one of the health and environmental benefits of the palm-oil free hazelnut spread as illegal. However, the Ferrero company was able to argue that the campaign unfairly damaged the reputation of their iconic Nutella brand. 

Additionally, representatives from the Ferrero company also argued that its statement regarding the health and environmental benefits of its product implies that its firms use sustainable practices to make palm oil. While the Ferrero company was able to win this case against its famous product, many still argue over the benefits and harms of the use of palm oil in the product. 

There is a special lock designed to seal the jar of Nutella from children.

In 2015, a German designer known as Daniel Schobloch invented a new locking product that allows a user to lock the lid of the Nutella jar into place. At the time, Schobloch stated that he invented this device as a means of keeping his children from consuming all of the Nutella in their homes. 

Thanks to this special device, the creator of the contraption were now able to control their household supply of Nutella and keep their children from consuming extra sugar. Later on, the device was named the Nutella Lock and can now be bought on online shopping websites such as eBay in Germany. 

In 2012, the Ferrero Company was sued due to the alleged health benefits of Nutella.

For the longest time, Nutella has been continuously advertised and marketed as a healthy addition to its consumer’s breakfast menu. However, due to the amount of sugar and sweeteners used in the products, the Ferrero company came under legal fire. On one instance, a group of mothers attempted to sue the company for false advertising and misleading marketing. 

The women claimed that the Ferrero company purposely fed misleading information in their advertisements. By the end of the court proceedings, the two sides agreed to enter a mediation process which reached an out-of-court settlement of 3 million USD. 

Each day, 1.35 million pounds of Nutella are produced.

As of 2017, over 1.35 million pounds of the famous hazelnut spread, Nutella is produced annually all over the world. Additionally, over 250,000 tons of Nutella are sold each year in over 75 different countries worldwide where the nine major global companies are based in Europe, Russia, North America, South America, and Australia. 

According to the Ferrero company’s statistics, France is considered to be the largest consumer of Nutella in the world where over 25% of the world’s production is consumed and produced each year. This hazelnut spread can be found in various desserts and dishes in France such as ice cream, breakfast staples, bread, and many more. 

Nutella contains approximately 10.5% saturated fat.

According to the Ferrero company’s ingredient list, the famous hazelnut spread, Nutella contains 1 gram of total protein per 15 gram serving size. Additionally, each serving also contains 41 kilocalories from fat and 5 grams of fat and 2 grams of saturated fat. 

There is also approximately 1 milligram of cholesterol found in each serving and a total of 6.3 milligrams of sodium as well. According to the company, these nutritional percentages are based on the Food and Nutrition Research Institute reference for adult requirements ranging between ages 19 to 29 years old. Additionally, it is also noted that these nutritional values may also change over time which causes it to differ in nutrition criteria as well. 

The Fererro company also filed a lawsuit against Nutella-themed restaurants.

Over the years, the famous Nutella craze has initiated several themed goods, businesses, and events based around the famous hazelnut spread. In 2015, the Ferrero group filed a lawsuit against a themed cafe in the United States which revolved around Nutella.

Originally set to be named ‘The Nutelleria,’ the restaurant officially registered as ‘The nuteria’ to avoid legal issues with the Fererro company. However, despite this, the Ferrero company still went through with the lawsuit due to how similar the name had remained from the product. Eventually, the restaurant closed down in May 2015.

Michele Ferrero has an estimated net worth of $23.5 billion.

Michele Ferrero is best known for building and setting his father’s company into the global candy industry. Since 1957, Michele Ferrero also began aggressively targeting overseas markets as he continued to develop the Ferrero company brand and its products.

Over the next few decades before his death in February 2015, Michele Fererro had successfully expanded the company and grew in other parts of the world such as Europe, South America, and North America, Asia, and Australia. Before passing away, Ferrero passed on the role of CEO to his two sons, Pietro and Giovani – who continue to keep the company running to this day. 

Fans of Nutella are considered to be quite dedicated.

For many years, Nutella has caused several global crazes and trends from all parts of the world. In 2018, a 70% off sale on Nutella caused several French shoppers to break out in a riot in local supermarkets just to grab a few jars of the popular hazelnut spread. 

Due to the number of shoppers that rushed to the stores at the time, several people were also injured which required local authorities to take action to break up the commotion. Over time, many similar incidents have also occurred all around the world which greatly proves how much the majority of people enjoy consuming Nutella. 

Nutella is also considered to be kosher.

Under the supervision of the Kashruth Division of the Orthodox Union, the popular hazelnut spread, Nutella is officially certified as a Kosher product. Additionally, it was also certified Halaal by the National Independent Halaal Trust group or N.I.H.T for short. Despite being similar, the Halaal dietary requirements are considered to be different from that of Kosher diets. 

Kosher products are classified as food that meets the dietary requirements of Jewish religion and culture under Jewish law. According to the Jewish laws, Kosher foods can be made from select animals and should also undergo certain eating processes and meet particular requirements before being used as ingredients for select products. 

A politician in Italy once formed a faction to those who were Pro-Nutella.

In 2010, an Italian politician started a political faction dedicated to fans of Nutella called ‘The Hands Off Nutella’ group. The Italian politician formed this committee to oppose the proposed European Union regulation for nutritional labels.

According to food production teams, this suggestion would mean that they would have to effectively apply warning labels onto their considerably unhealthy products. However, the Ferrero company stated that Nutella was already following these guidelines on their product. 

The Italian postal service created a Nutella themed stamp in 2014.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the popular hazelnut spread, the Italian Postal Service released a Nutella-themed stamp in 2014. This stamp features the brand’s signature jar on its front, which is displayed in the center of its design. 

The 0.70 Euro stamp was designed by Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato and is now considered to be a valuable addition to any stamp collection. Additionally, the 50th anniversary of Nutella also marks the launch of the official Nutella Stories website which openly invited Nutella fans from all over the world to share their stories, videos, and photos relating to their experiences with the hazelnut spread.  

Nutella has an unsuccessful history with athletes known as the Nutella curse.

During the early 2000s, the Ferrero company began marketing their Nutella brand by using several up and coming young athletes from the national soccer team of Germany. However, due to the highly unsatisfactory performances of the majority of the players, the marketing strategy for the popular hazelnut spread was also considered to be a failure based on its sales statistics. 

Additionally, many of the players that the Ferrero company had signed with their Nutella brand were also removed from the official teams later on which prevented them from becoming professional players. Ultimately, due to the long line of unsuccessful marketing attempts and partnerships, this phenomenon became known as the Nutella fluch, or the Nutella curse. 

Nutella is also considered to be quite popular on social media platforms such as Instagram.

Over the years, there have been several studies on the popularity of Nutella and how consumers behave when it comes to the popular Italian product. Thanks to this, researchers have found that the popular Nutella brand has an active online following and audience that is dedicated to sharing new and exciting ways for using the popular Italian spread. 

Additionally, The Ferrero company also found that using social media could be considered as a great advantage in attracting millions of audiences through several different online platforms. Today, the Nutella brand uses both organic and paid media, which has boosted its engagement rate with people from all over the world throughout the years. 

The world record for eating a whole jar of Nutella is 2 minutes and 31.67 seconds.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the fastest time that anyone has ever eaten through a jar of Nutella capped at 2 minutes and 31.67 seconds. The world record was accomplished in 2013 by a man named Peter Czerwinski.

With the popularity of the Italian hazelnut spread, Nutella eating contests have been held in several parts of the world. On average, it takes 2 to 3 minutes long for competitors to finish a jar of Nutella. The average-sized Nutella jar contains 375 grams, with the serving size typically around 37 grams.